Harry, despite his young age, stepped forward in front of Edith, standing his ground like a loyal soldier. Under any other circumstances, Michael might have found the child's courage endearing. But in that moment, he was consumed by rage. Edith had put Harry's life in danger simply to seek revenge. Michael couldn't forgive such a reckless act. Ignoring Harry completely, Michael began to approach Lailah.

As Michael advanced, Edith felt a fierce rage coursing through her veins. The memories of Michael's brutal massacre of her best friend Victoria and her family flooded her mind. Michael had destroyed everything she held dear in a matter of days, tearing apart her entire life. But while the world trembled before the fearsome power of the Dark Lord, Edith refused to back down. Her anger was so intense that it dwarfed any sense of fear.

The others, including the elders, struggled to get back on their feet after being knocked out by the wind blast. Some of them mustered their strength and used arch energy to heal their bodies, but their attempts were futile. A ring of flames as dark as midnight suddenly appeared around Michael, enclosing Edith and Harry within. The intense heat of the dark flames kept the others from getting closer to Michael and Edith.

Despite meeting Michael's eyes filled with cold murderous intent, Edith remained firm, refusing to cower in fear. Her anger burned hotter than the dark flames themselves, fueling her determination to face Michael head-on. The two dark swords on Michael's back started to tremble as they had a mind of their own. They struggled to fly out of the sheath and land in Michael's hands, sensing his overwhelming rage.

In Michael's anger, he didn't even bother to check on Harry or even talk to him for the first time in his life. Instead, Michael locked his gaze on Edith, his eyes filled with a cold, menacing intensity that sent shivers down her spine. The air around them crackled with tension, and it was clear that this confrontation was about to come to a violent end.

Michael's gaze remained fixed on Edith, his eyes glinting with chilling intensity. "You used him to avenge your friend and her family," he said coldly, his voice barely above a whisper.

"What are you going to do? Kill me like you killed all those innocent people?" Edith snickered, turning her attention to Harry, who watched the exchange with wide eyes.

"Did you or did you not know someone was sent to kill your sister?" Michael asked, his voice steady and unwavering. To his surprise, Edith showed no signs of shock or surprise.

"Not everyone's a murderer like you," Edith replied, her voice dripping with venom.

"Do you know why I didn't kill you?" Michael asked, his tone as icy as his gaze. He waited for a response, but when none came, he continued. "As much as you annoyed me, you did nothing wrong until you decided to use him to seek revenge against me. I should have known being with that bitch would have corrupted your soul."

The word "bitch" was like a match to a powder keg. Edith's anger exploded, and she raised her hand to slap Michael with all her might. The sound of the slap echoed through the hall, making Harry jump in fright. Edith grabbed Michael by his collar and shook him, her eyes blazing with fury.

Edith's voice was thick with rage as she stared defiantly at Michael. Her eyes blazed with an intensity that matched the dark flames that surrounded them. "How dare you speak ill of Victoria's memory! She was a kind and compassionate person, unlike you, a soulless murderer!" she spat out.

Michael's jaw clenched at her words, his eyes narrowing to slits. "You have no idea what you're talking about," he hissed.

"Oh, I know exactly what I'm talking about," Edith shot back, her voice laced with venom. "You destroyed everything I loved, and for what? Your sick, twisted sense of justice?"

The air around them crackled with tension, and Harry watched with wide eyes, unsure of what was happening.

Edith stood before them, unafraid and defiant, her eyes blazing with a fury that matched Michael's. "Kill me," she hissed, "and show your son what you really are."

At the sound of those words, Harry's heart stopped. He looked up at Michael, his eyes wide with shock and disbelief. This man, who had been a stranger just moments ago, was his father. The revelation was almost too much to bear, and Harry felt like he was about to be sick. He wanted to run to his father, to feel the safety of his embrace, but the fear that gripped him was stronger.

Michael turned to look at his son, and the cold, murderous intent that had been radiating from him seemed to dissipate slightly. He could see the fear in Harry's eyes, the confusion and the pain, which was like a punch to the gut. How could he explain to his son that he was the Dark Lord? How could he make him understand everything that turned him into this?

Michael stood in front of Edith, his eyes filled with rage as she taunted him. "Show your dark spawn the way of your life," she sneered, her words hitting Michael like a blow to the gut.

Michael's anger flared up, and he turned to face Edith, his voice low and dangerous. "You will not call him that," he growled, his eyes locking onto hers.

Harry watched in shock as the two adults argued and taunted each other. The man standing before him was his father, but he was also a monster who had killed innocent people. Harry felt caught in the middle of a storm, unable to move or speak, as he tried to process everything that was happening.

The air around them crackled with tension as Michael and Edith faced off, their gazes locked in a battle of wills. Harry could feel the weight of their anger and hatred pressing down on him, making it hard to breathe. He wanted to run, to escape the chaos and the pain, but he couldn't move.

Michael had made the difficult decision to sever his connection with Harry, not because he didn't love his son, but because he wanted to protect him from the dangers that came with being the son of the Dark Lord. Michael had grown up as an orphan himself and knew firsthand the difficulties that came with it. He didn't want Harry and Lailah to suffer the same fate. Michael knew that if anyone discovered Harry's true identity, they would stop at nothing to hunt him down. He had made the ultimate sacrifice for the sake of his son's safety, but all of it seemed to be for nothing now that Edith had crossed the line and put Harry's life in danger.

On the other hand, Harry felt like he was caught in the middle of a storm, unable to move or speak. The man before him was his father, but he was also a monster. He didn't know what to do or what to say, and he could only watch as the two adults argued and taunted each other.

As Harry's eyes darted back and forth between the two arguing adults, he suddenly felt a prickling sensation on the back of his neck. It was like tiny insects crawling over his skin, and before he could even process what was happening, he felt a sharp, searing pain. It was like a lightning bolt had struck him, and then everything went dark.

Edith's attention immediately shifted to Harry as he collapsed to the floor. She rushed to his side and checked his pulse, her heart pounding with fear. She had not intended to harm the child, but the sight of Michael had ignited something in her that she could not control. Now, as she looked down at the unconscious boy, she felt a deep sense of regret and guilt.

Michael's eyes glowed with killing intent as he slowly unsheathed his dark sword. The metal glinted in the light of the flames, casting eerie shadows on the walls. He knew what he had to do, what Edith's actions had forced him to do. With a cold, emotionless voice, he spoke the words that sealed Edith's fate.

"I should have killed you a long time ago."

Without hesitation, Michael plunged the sword straight into Edith's gut. Blood spurted out of the wound and dripped from the corners of her mouth, staining her clothes and the ground beneath her. Michael didn't say anything else or ask her any more questions. He knew what he had to do, and he did it without remorse.

In that moment, Edith was no longer just an annoyance. She was a potential enemy, someone with enough grudge to put her own family in danger for the sake of revenge. An enemy like her couldn't be left alone.

As Michael pushed the sword deeper, Edith leaned in towards him, a devilish grin on her face. He grabbed her hair and pulled her off his body, his eyes glowing with dark energy. With a single burst of power, he fired dark beams straight into Edith's head, taking her life immediately. A smoking hole appeared in the center of her forehead, and she fell to the ground beside unconscious Harry. Michael ignored the system notification of Edith's death and drowned at the moment.

For a moment, there was only silence. Michael stood there, his sword still dripping with blood, looking down at Edith's lifeless body. He had done what he had to do, but he couldn't shake the feeling that all this could have been avoided if Edith had stayed away from Harry. With a heavy heart, he looked at Harry as his anger slowly faded away, looking at his innocent face.

Michael knelt down beside his unconscious son, his heart heavy with worry and regret. He gently brushed Harry's face with his hand, his fingers lingering on his son's soft cheeks. For a brief moment, the Dark Lord within Michael disappeared, and the more gentle side of him came out. He felt a rush of love and protectiveness towards his son and wished he could shield him from all the darkness and danger of the world.

But that side of him disappeared as soon as he saw Gruzal through the ring of dark flames. As the ring of fire dissipated, Michael stood up, his movements slow and deliberate. His eyes blazed with a fury that seemed to consume him, and Gruzal and Gllelus both took a step back in fear. The air around Michael crackled with dark energy, and he unsheathed his second dark sword, holding both weapons with a steady grip.

Gllelus saw the rage in Michael's eyes and knew that he had to prepare to fight for Gruzal's life. The two swords on Michael's back trembled with a mind of their own, eager to be wielded by their master. The ground beneath their feet shook with the power emanating from Michael, and even the elders watching from afar could feel the moment's intensity.

The hall was engulfed in an intense heat that lingered even after the dark flames dissipated. Mutrad could feel the sweat trickling down his forehead, but his mind was preoccupied with the Dark Lord's presence before him. As he looked into Michael's eyes, he was struck by a flood of memories from the Itholan massacre. The same cold, unwavering gaze that had sent shivers down his spine then was present in the Dark Lord's eyes now. It was a look that promised destruction and death to anyone who dared cross him.

The mermon elder stood tall, his voice echoing through the hall as he spoke to the Dark Lord. "You have your child and killed the one responsible for his disappearance. Now leave our world," he demanded.

But Michael remained unmoved, his eyes blazing with an intense fury. He knew that his mission was far from over, and he was not about to be stopped by a group of mermon elders.

Michael's response was simple but deadly. "You have two choices. Back off and save yourselves, or stand in my way and die with him," he said, raising his sword and pointing it at Gruzal.

As Michael raised his sword and pointed it at Gruzal, Mutrad felt a sense of impending doom. The Dark Lord's eyes were filled with a fiery rage that Mutrad had seen before, during the massacre in Itholan. He knew that Michael was not one to back down, and the mermon elders' defiance could only lead to bloodshed. Mutrad's heart raced as he realized he might be witnessing another brutal massacre, and he wondered if there was anything he could do to prevent it.